Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 248 / Friday, December 27, 2024 / Notices 105555 

1The DOE is aware of the November 12, 2024, 

decision in Marin Audubon Society v. Federal 

Aviation Administration, No. 23–1067 (D.C. Cir. 

Nov. 12, 2024). To the extent that a court may 

conclude that the CEQ regulations implementing 

NEPA are not judicially enforceable or binding on 

this agency action, the DOE has nonetheless elected 

to follow those regulations at 40 CFR parts 1500– 

1508, in addition to the DOE’s procedures/ 

regulations implementing NEPA at 10 CFR part 

1021, to meet the agency’s obligations under NEPA, 

42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. 

Dated: December 19, 2024. 

Kun Mullan, 

PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and 

Clearance, Governance and Strategy Division, 

Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of 

Planning, Evaluation and Policy 

Development. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30850 Filed 12–26–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Notice of Intent To Prepare a 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement for Remediation of Area IV 

and the Northern Buffer Zone of the 

Santa Susana Field Laboratory and 

Conduct Public Scoping Meetings 

AGENCY: Office of Environmental 

Management, Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a 

supplemental environmental impact 

statement and conduct public scoping 

meetings. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Energy (DOE) announces its intent to 

prepare a supplemental environmental 

impact statement (SEIS) under the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) to evaluate additional 

alternatives for cleanup of soils in Area 

IV, including the Energy Technology 

Engineering Center (ETEC), as well as 

the Northern Buffer Zone (NBZ) of the 

Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) 

(DOE/EIS–0402–S1) in eastern Ventura 

County, California, adjacent to Los 

Angeles County. DOE’s operations 

bordered the NBZ. DOE is responsible 

for soil cleanup in Area IV and the 

portions of the NBZ where DOE’s 

activities impacted the soils. This SEIS, 

prepared to supplement the ‘‘Final 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

Remediation of Area IV and the 

Northern Buffer Zone of the Santa 

Susana Field Laboratory and Conduct 

Public Scoping Meetings’’ (Final SSFL 

Area IV EIS) (DOE/EIS–0402; November 

2018), will include additional soils 

remediation alternatives not previously 

evaluated. DOE is initiating a 60-day 

public scoping period. DOE plans to 

hold two public scoping meetings. 

DATES: DOE invites Federal and State 

agencies, State and local governments, 

Native American Tribes, industry and 

other organizations, and members of the 

public to submit comments to assist in 

determining the appropriate scope of 

this SEIS. The public scoping period 

will extend until February 25, 2025. 

DOE plans to hold two public scoping 

meetings. Dates, times, and locations 

will be announced in local media and 

posted on the ETEC EIS website at 

https://www.ssflareaiveis.com/ at least 

15 days before the date of the meetings. 

DOE will consider all comments 

received or postmarked by the end of 

the scoping period. Comments 

submitted after the close of the scoping 

period will be considered to the extent 

practicable. 

Additional information regarding 

scoping meetings is provided on the 

ETEC EIS website at https://

www.ssflareaiveis.com/. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the 

scope of the SEIS, requests to speak at 

a public meeting, requests to be added 

to the SEIS mailing list, and comments 

or questions on the scoping process can 

be sent to: Dr. Joshua Mengers, NEPA 

Document Manager, Leidos 2109 Air 

Park Road SE, Ste 200 Albuquerque, NM 

87106. Comments may also be 

submitted by email to SSFL_DOE_SEIS@

emcbc.doe.gov (use ‘‘Scoping 

Comments’’ for the subject), or on the 

EIS website at https://

www.ssflareaiveis.com/. Please submit 

comments in MicrosoftTM Word or PDF 

file format and avoid the use of 

encryption. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

general information on the DOE Office 

of Environmental Management NEPA 

process, contact: Bill Ostrum, EM NEPA 

Compliance Officer, U.S. Department of 

Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue 

SW, Washington, DC 20585; 202–5896– 

2513 or email: william.ostrum@

hq.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This NOI, 

the 2018 SSFL Area IV EIS, and related 

information are available online at 

https://www.energy.gov/nepa and at 

https://www.ssflareaiveis.com/. 

Additional information about the 

SSFL Area IV is available in the 

following public reading rooms: 

• Simi Valley, California: Simi Valley 

Library, 2969 Tapo Canyon Road, (805) 

526–1735; 

• Hidden Hills, California: Hidden 

Hills City Hall, 6165 Spring Valley 

Road, (818) 888–9281; 

• Northridge, California: California 

State University Northridge Oviatt 

Library, 2nd Floor, Room 265, (818) 

677–3465; and 

• Chatsworth, California: State of 

California Department of Toxic 

Substances Control, 9211 Oakdale 

Avenue, (818) 717–6500. 

Background 

DOE is preparing the ‘‘Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

Remediation of Area IV and the 

Northern Buffer Zone of the Santa 

Susana Field Laboratory’’ (SEIS) (DOE/ 

EIS–0402–S1) in accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, as amended (Pub. L. 91–190,42 

United States Code (U.S.C.) 4321 et seq.) 

(NEPA), the Council on Environmental 

Quality’s (CEQ) NEPA regulations (40 

CFR parts 1500–1508), 1 and DOE’s 

NEPA Implementing Procedures (10 

CFR part 1021). 

Site History. Located on 2,850 acres in 

the hills between the San Fernando 

Valley and Simi Valley, CA, SSFL was 

established in 1947 by North American 

Aviation (NAA) for the development 

and testing of liquid propellant rocket 

engines, first for the U.S. Air Force and 

subsequently for the National 

Aeronautics and Space Administration 

(NASA). In 1955, NAA established the 

subdivision Atomics International for 

the purpose of conducting energy 

research and testing small nuclear 

reactors for the Atomic Energy 

Commission (AEC), a predecessor 

agency to DOE, and commercial clients 

in the western portion of SSFL, also 

known as Area IV. Atomics 

International merged into Rocketdyne in 

1984. In 1996, the Boeing Company 

(Boeing) acquired part of Rocketdyne, 

and with it SSFL. 

SSFL is divided into four 

administrative areas and two contiguous 

buffer zones north and south of the 

administrative areas. Area I consists of 

about 714 acres, including 672 acres 

that are owned and operated by Boeing 

and 42 acres that are owned by the 

Federal Government and administered 

by NASA. Area II consists of about 410 

acres that are owned by the Federal 

Government and administered by 

NASA. Area III consists of about 120 

acres that are owned and operated by 

Boeing. Area IV consists of about 290 

acres that are owned by Boeing in which 

90 acres have been leased by DOE and 

its predecessors for work described 

below. Boeing also owns contiguous 

buffer zone areas of 1,143 acres to the 

south (Southern Buffer Zone) and 182 

acres to the north (NBZ). DOE has no 

responsibilities for the Southern Buffer 

Zone as it adjoins SSFL Areas I, II, and 

III. DOE does have responsibility for the 

cleanup of soils in the 290 acres of Area 

IV and in the 182-acre NBZ. Not all of 

the energy research conducted in Area 

IV was performed for DOE. Boeing has 


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responsibility for the decontamination 

and demolition of the buildings it owns. 

Starting in the mid-1950s, the AEC 

funded nuclear energy research on a 90- 

acre parcel of SSFL Area IV leased from 

Atomics International. ETEC was 

established by the AEC on this parcel in 

the early 1960s as a ‘‘center of 

excellence’’ for liquid metals 

technology. Boeing and its predecessors 

operated ETEC on behalf of DOE. At 

ETEC, DOE also operated 10 small 

nuclear reactors built for various 

research activities. All SSFL reactor 

operations ended in 1980, and nuclear 

research work was completed in 1988. 

Cleanup of ETEC began in the 1960s 

and was undertaken continually and as 

unnecessary facilities were 

decommissioned. Operation of the 

research facilities and reactors resulted 

in localized radiological and chemical 

contamination of soil and groundwater, 

and the concrete containment that 

surrounded the reactors became 

radioactive. The major periods of 

building demolition were 1975 through 

1977 and 1995 through 2005, and 

recently in 2020 through 2021. DOE has 

removed all nuclear materials from the 

site, as well as all above grade portions 

of its buildings (a few foundations 

remain). Prior building demolition and 

soil remediation efforts resulted in 

removal of much of the chemical and 

radioactive material from Area IV. 

Prior NEPA Reviews: In March 2003, 

DOE issued an ‘‘Environmental 

Assessment for Cleanup and Closure of 

the Energy Technology Engineering 

Center’’ (DOE/EA–1345). The purpose 

and need for agency action was based 

on a DOE determination in 1996 that 

ETEC was surplus to DOE’s needs and 

that the site should be closed. Based on 

the results of the environmental 

assessment (EA), DOE determined that 

an EIS was not required and issued a 

finding of no significant impact 

(FONSI). DOE’s FONSI was challenged, 

and the U.S. District Court for the 

Northern District of California’s May 2, 

2007, ruling in the case Natural 

Resources Defense Council v. 

Department of Energy (Slip Op. 2007 

WL 2349288 (N.D. Cal. Aug. 15, 2007)) 

held that DOE’s decision to issue a 

FONSI and conduct remediation on the 

basis of the final EA rather than prepare 

an EIS was in violation of NEPA. The 

court enjoined DOE from relinquishing 

control of any portion of SSFL Area IV 

until DOE completes an EIS and issues 

a Record of Decision pursuant to NEPA. 

In accordance with CEQ and DOE 

NEPA implementing regulations (40 

CFR parts 1500–1508 and 10 CFR part 

1021, respectively), DOE initiated an 

EIS in October 2007 by issuing an 

Advance NOI (72 FR 58834). Public 

comments received as a result of the 

publication of the Advance NOI aided 

in the preparation of the 2008 NOI 

announcing DOE’s intent to prepare an 

EIS (73 FR 28437). DOE held scoping 

meetings in July 2008. DOE soon 

thereafter determined that additional 

site characterization data were needed 

before DOE could proceed with the EIS. 

After the additional site 

characterization work was completed, 

DOE reinitiated the EIS process by 

issuing an Amended NOI and conduct 

additional scoping meetings to allow 

further public involvement. The 

Amended NOI to Prepare an 

‘‘Environmental Impact Statement for 

Remediation of Area IV of the Santa 

Susana Field Laboratory’’ and Conduct 

Public Scoping Meetings (79 FR 7439) 

was published in the February 7, 2014, 

Federal Register. DOE held two scoping 

meetings in February and March. 

The comments received during the 

2008 and 2014 scoping periods were 

used in the development of the ‘‘Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

Remediation of Area IV and the NBZ of 

the Santa Susana Field Laboratory’’ 

(Draft SSFL Area IV EIS). On January 13, 

2017, EPA published a notice in the 

Federal Register (82 FR 4336), 

announcing the availability of the Draft 

SSFL Area IV EIS and a public comment 

period. During the public comment 

period, DOE held two public hearings, 

as well as a hearing for Native 

Americans. 

On December 28, 2018, EPA 

published a notice in the Federal 

Register (83 FR 67282), announcing the 

availability of the Final SSFL Area IV 

EIS. On September 27, 2019, DOE 

announced its decision to implement 

the preferred alternative for building 

demolition identified in the 2018 SSFL 

Area IV EIS to demolish the 18 

buildings it owned in Area IV of SSFL 

and dispose of or recycle the materials 

off site (84 FR 51150). On November 10, 

2020 (85 FR 71640), DOE announced its 

decision to implement the preferred 

alternatives for groundwater 

remediation identified in the 2018 SSFL 

Area IV EIS, with the exception of 

Building 4100/Building 56 Landfill TCE 

Plume, for which DOE would 

implement monitored natural 

attenuation. DOE has yet to issue a 

decision on soil remediation, the subject 

of this SEIS. 

As required by CEQA and the 

California Health and Safety Code, in 

September 2017, California Department 

of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) 

issued the ‘‘Draft Program 

Environmental Impact Report for the 

Santa Susana Field Laboratory, Ventura 

County, California’’ (Draft Program EIR) 

to evaluate proposed remedial actions at 

SSFL. On June 8, 2023, DTSC released 

the Final Program EIR for SSFL. 

According to DTSC’s news release 

(https://dtsc.ca.gov/2023/06/08/newsrelease_t-04-23/), the Final Program EIR 

includes DTSC’s analysis of the 

environmental impacts from cleanup 

work at the site, and mitigation 

measures to address those impacts, but 

the Final Program EIR itself does not 

select a cleanup standard. The Final 

Program EIR further provides that the 

responsible parties (Boeing, NASA, and 

DOE) will develop detailed work plans 

(characterized as ‘‘decision documents’’) 

that outline the stages and methods of 

cleanup and will include cleanup 

standards. These documents will be 

made available for public review and 

comment prior to finalization and DTSC 

approval. 

Regulations and Agreements: In 2007, 

DOE, NASA, Boeing, and DTSC entered 

into a Consent Order governing the 

remediation of soils and groundwater at 

SSFL. 

In the Consolidated Appropriations 

Act, 2008 (Pub. L. 110–161), Congress, 

among other things, mandated that DOE 

use a portion of the funding for ETEC 

to enter into an interagency agreement 

with the EPA to conduct a joint 

comprehensive radioactive site 

characterization of Area IV and the 

NBZ. Additionally, in 2009, EPA 

received $38 million in American 

Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds 

from DOE to expand site 

characterization work. DOE continued 

to prepare the EIS while the site 

characterization was being completed, 

gathering information to support the EIS 

such as baseline data on traffic and 

noise. EPA conducted its background 

and on-site radionuclide investigation of 

Area IV and the NBZ from the summer 

of 2009 until the fall of 2012. EPA’s 

final data report for the Area IV and 

NBZ radiological study was issued in 

December 2012. EPA’s final data report 

for the radiological study is available on 

the ETEC website at www.energy.gov/ 

etec/epa-characterization-1. 

In December 2010, DOE and DTSC 

entered into the Administrative Order 

on Consent (2010 AOC), which modifies 

DOE’s obligations with respect to soil 

cleanup and provides the process for 

DOE to complete soil characterization 

within Area IV and the NBZ (https://

www.energy.gov/sites/default/files/ 

2023-01/SSFL_DOE_AOC_Final.pdf). 

The 2010 AOC also describes the 

process for establishing soil cleanup 

standards for Area IV. The 2010 AOC 

stipulates that the soils cleanup 

standard will be local background 


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2The soil cleanup standards (action levels) are to 

be listed in a ‘‘Look-up Table’’ as not-to-exceed 

concentrations in the soil. 

concentrations, subject to specified 

exceptions and conditions, including 

provisions addressing analytical 

detection limits, endangered species 

and habitat, cultural resources, and 

other unforeseen circumstances.2 The 

AOC provides a preference for on-site 

treatment to minimize transportation of 

soils. DOE completed the AOC-required 

soil sampling and released its data 

report for the Area IV/NBZ chemical 

study in 2014. The most frequently 

observed chemicals in soils were 

polychlorinated biphenyls (from 

electrical components); polycyclic 

aromatic hydrocarbons (from fuels and 

burning of wastes); dioxins (from 

burning of wastes and brush fires); 

petroleum chemicals (mostly from 

diesel fuel and naturally occurring 

organic materials); mercury (from 

electrical components and as heat 

transfer medium); and metals 

(antimony, cadmium, chromium VI, 

mercury, selenium, and silver). The 

results of the EPA soil radiological 

characterization reports and the DOE 

chemical characterization were 

incorporated into the SSFL Area IV EIS 

analyses. 

In December 2012, EPA provided to 

DTSC its cleanup value 

recommendations to be included in the 

Look-Up Table (LUT) for radionuclides, 

and DTSC released provisional 

radionuclide Look-Up Table values in 

January 2013. In June 2013, DTSC 

provided Look-Up Table values for 125 

of the most frequently observed 

chemicals at the site. 

The provisional radionuclide LUT 

values and chemical LUT values are 

incorporated into appendix D of the 

2018 SSFL Area IV EIS. 

Boeing is the landowner of Area IV 

and the NBZ. In April 2017, Boeing and 

North American Land Trust entered into 

a Grant Deed of Conservation Easement 

and Agreement (conservation easement) 

to permanently preserve nearly 2,400 

acres of land at SSFL, including Area IV 

and the NBZ as open space. In 

November 2017, Boeing and North 

American Land Trust entered into a 

second Grant Deed of Conservation 

Easement and Agreement to protect 

approximately 53 additional acres along 

the Southern Buffer Zone of SSFL. The 

conservation easements are legally 

enforceable documents that, among 

other restrictions, forever prohibit 

residential, agricultural, or commercial 

development or uses of the site. They 

permanently bind the property, 

regardless of who owns the land. 

Purpose and Need for Agency Action 

Similar to that described in the 2018 

SSFL Area IV EIS DOE needs to 

complete remediation of SSFL Area IV 

and the NBZ to comply with applicable 

requirements for cleanup of radiological 

and hazardous substances. These 

requirements include laws, regulations, 

orders, and agreements. To this end, 

DOE proposes to clean up the affected 

environment in Area IV and the NBZ in 

a manner that is protective of the 

environment and the health and safety 

of the public and workers. 

Proposed Action 

DOE proposes to remediate 

chemically and radiologically impacted 

soil in Area IV and the NBZ; dispose of 

resulting material; and restore the 

affected environment in accordance 

with applicable laws, orders, 

regulations, and agreements with the 

State of California. 

Preliminary Description of Alternatives 

In the Final SSFL Area IV EIS, DOE 

evaluated the No Action Alternative and 

four different soil cleanup alternatives. 

The previously evaluated soil cleanup 

alternatives were: (1) Cleanup to the 

AOC LUT Values; (2) Cleanup to 

Revised LUT Values; (3) Conservation of 

Natural Resources—Residential 

Scenario; and (4) Conservation of 

Natural Resources Open Space Scenario. 

Various conditions warrant the 

consideration of additional options for 

soil cleanup actions. DOE’s ongoing 

environmental review and assessment of 

the site identified numerous challenging 

issues for soil remediation. For example, 

the provisional LUT values developed 

to define background are not 

implementable. Backfill soils needed to 

restore the site are not available at the 

established cleanup standards. The 

provisional cleanup standards set for 

some contaminants are lower than 

laboratory detection capabilities. The 

pristine sites used to develop the 

provisional look-up-table values would 

not pass as clean. Therefore, DOE 

proposes to evaluate three new soil 

cleanup alternatives in the SEIS: (1) 

Updated LUT Values Alternative, (2) 

Multiple Lines of Evidence Alternative, 

and (3) Resident with Garden Riskbased Alternative. 

These alternatives are being evaluated 

in the SEIS because they are reasonable 

options for cleanup of soil 

contamination for DOE areas of 

responsibility at SSFL. 

• Updated LUT Values Alternative— 

DOE, working with DTSC staff, 

identified issues with the AOC LUT 

background threshold values (BTVs) 

and method reporting limits (MRLs) and 

DOE developed proposed ‘‘Updated’’ 

LUT values that reduce the false 

positive decision error rate. The 

proposed Updated LUT Alternative 

would retain the other provisions of the 

AOC. 

• Multiple Lines of Evidence 

Alternative—Looking at options for 

addressing issues with AOC soil 

cleanup implementation, DTSC 

developed a soil cleanup option termed 

the ‘‘Multiple-Lines of Evidence’’ (MLE) 

approach, which means using different 

types of proof to support an idea. The 

use of MLE makes the argument stronger 

and more reliable. US EPA identifies the 

use of MLE as a best practice in 

environmental cleanup. DTSC held 

public ‘‘Soil Smarts’’ workshops on 

November 20, 2024, and December 10, 

2024, to explain the next phase of 

implementing the soil cleanup at SSFL 

and discuss the MLE approach. 

According to DTSC, ‘‘The MLE 

approach uses risk assessment to ensure 

the protection of human health while 

minimizing unnecessary removal of 

clean soil and destruction of critical 

habitats and cultural resources.’’ DTSC 

elaborated on the MLE approach: ‘‘[t]he 

evaluation is performed on a sample-bysample basis and does not use any area 

averaging’’ and ‘‘[u]sing the MLE 

approach will allow for a cleanup to 

local background levels consistent with 

the AOCs.’’ A further description of 

DTSC’s proposed MLE approach is 

available at https://dtsc.ca.gov/wpcontent/uploads/sites/31/2024/11/SSFLFact-Sheet-5-Unearthing-a-BetterApproach-FINAL.pdf. 

• Resident with Garden Risk-based 

Alternative—The Boeing Company and 

DTSC entered into a settlement 

agreement (‘‘Boeing Settlement 

Agreement’’) providing a framework for 

the soil cleanup action for Boeing’s 

cleanup at SSFL. According to the 

Boeing Settlement agreement, cleanup 

would be up to and including a resident 

with garden scenario. Standard risk 

assessment protocols would be followed 

in identifying locations for a soil 

cleanup action. 

As part of this SEIS, DOE proposes to 

evaluate the resident with garden 

scenario based on the framework from 

the Boeing Settlement Agreement, 

which differs from the resident (without 

garden) and open space scenarios 

assessed in the 2018 SSFL Area IV EIS. 

In the interest of evaluating a consistent 

cleanup standard across the SSFL site 

and avoiding challenges associated with 

disparate standards, the resident with 

garden scenario is being addressed in 

this SEIS as an option for a soil cleanup 


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action within DOE areas of 

responsibility at SSFL. 

A number of alternative concepts 

were proposed by the public during the 

2018 SSFL Area IV EIS scoping period 

in 2008, the Community Alternatives 

Development Workshops in 2012, and 

the SSFL Area IV EIS scoping period in 

2014. DOE incorporated most of these 

concepts into the alternatives described 

in the 2018 SSFL Area IV EIS. More 

detailed descriptions of these concepts, 

as well as a discussion of the analysis 

undertaken to evaluate each concept 

and inform DOE’s dismissal of some 

concepts from detailed study, are 

provided in the 2018 SSFL Area IV EIS. 

DOE will reconsider these alternative 

concepts as part of the SEIS 

development process. 

In accordance with CEQ and DOE 

NEPA Regulations, DOE will also 

evaluate a ‘‘no action’’ alternative. 

Under the No Action Alternative, DOE 

would undertake no further soil cleanup 

at SSFL Area IV and the NBZ. Other 

DOE and Boeing activities would 

continue at SSFL Area IV and the NBZ. 

As required under NEPA, this 

alternative is to establish the baseline 

against which the environmental effects 

from other analyzed alternatives can be 

compared. 

This list of alternatives is preliminary. 

After public scoping, DOE will reevaluate the reasonable alternatives to 

be analyzed in the SEIS. 

Preliminary Identification of 

Environmental Issues and Expected 

Effects 

DOE has tentatively identified 

potential effects to the following 

resource areas for consideration in the 

SEIS. These are the same resource areas 

evaluated in the 2018 SSFL Area IV EIS. 

The following list is not intended to be 

all inclusive or to imply any 

predetermination of effects. 

• Land Resources including land use, 

recreation, infrastructure, and 

aesthetics and visual quality 

• Geology and Soils including mineral 

and paleontological resources 

• Surface Water Resources including 

floodplains and wetlands 

• Groundwater Resources 

• Biological Resources including 

vegetation, wildlife, and threatened, 

endangered, and rare species 

• Air Quality, Climate Change, and 

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Effects 

• Noise 

• Transportation including from 

radiological and non-radiological 

wastes to disposal sites and clean 

replacement soil to SSFL 

• Traffic 

• Human Health and Safety including 

occupational and public health and 

safety, and site accidents including 

from natural disasters (floods, 

hurricanes, tornadoes, and 

earthquakes) and intentional 

destructive acts (sabotage and 

terrorism) 

• Waste Management 

• Cultural Resources including 

archeological, paleontological, and 

Native American culturally important 

sites and Consultations 

• Socioeconomics 

• Environmental Justice (potential 

disproportionate and adverse effects 

on communities with environmental 

justice concerns) 

• Cumulative effects 

This list will be re-evaluated 

following public scoping and, as 

directed by the CEQ’s NEPA 

Regulations, DOE will analyze each 

potential environmental effect at a level 

of detail in proportion to its potential 

significance (40 CFR 1502.2(b)). 

Anticipated Permits, Authorizations, 

and Related Environmental Reviews 

As described in the 2018 SSFL Area 

IV EIS, DOE areas of Area IV and the 

NBZ lie outside the floodplain. Because 

there are no floodplains, DOE’s 

regulation 10 CFR part 1022 does not 

apply with respect to floodplain actions. 

Because the proposed project may 

involve actions in wetlands, the draft 

SEIS will include an updated wetland 

assessment. 

Section 106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act (NHPA) requires 

Federal agencies to take into account the 

effects of their undertakings on historic 

properties. DOE will continue to 

coordinate compliance with section 106 

during preparation of this SEIS. 

Also, DOE will continue formal 

consultations with the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service as required under 

section 7 of the Endangered Species Act 

and begun during preparation of the 

2018 SSFL Area IV EIS. 

Public Scoping Process 

DOE invites interested parties to 

comment on the scope of this SEIS, 

including the proposed action, 

alternatives, and effects, as well as on 

relevant information, studies, or 

analyses with respect to the proposed 

action. This may include environmental 

issues to be analyzed, and mitigation to 

reduce potential environmental effects. 

Written comments may be provided by 

any of the means described under 

ADDRESSES section. Oral comments may 

be provided at the public scoping 

meetings. DOE plans to hold two public 

scoping meetings. Dates, times, and 

locations will be announced in local 

media and posted on the ETEC EIS 

website at https://

www.ssflareaiveis.com/ at least 15 days 

before the date of the meetings. 

Requests to speak at the public 

meeting should be made by sending an 

email to SSFL_DOE_SEIS@

emcbc.doe.gov. Those who pre-register 

should indicate at which meeting they 

want to speak and their name. Speakers 

will be scheduled on a first-come, firstserved basis. In addition, individuals 

may sign up at the meeting reception 

desk and will be accommodated as time 

permits. 

The scoping meetings will offer an 

opportunity for stakeholders to learn 

more about the proposed action from 

DOE officials and to provide comments 

on the proposed scope of the SEIS. DOE 

officials will provide a brief 

presentation explaining DOE’s process 

for identifying reasonable alternatives 

and potential environmental effects to 

be analyzed in the SEIS. Following the 

presentation, the public will be given 

the opportunity to provide comments 

orally. A court reporter will be present 

to transcribe comments, but speakers are 

encouraged to provide written versions 

of their oral comments for the record. 

The presiding officer will establish the 

order of the speakers and will ensure 

that everyone who wishes to speak has 

a chance to do so. DOE may need to 

limit speakers to three minutes initially 

but will provide additional 

opportunities to speak if time allows. 

Comment cards will also be available for 

those who would prefer to submit 

written comments. DOE is especially 

interested in learning from the public 

any issues or alternatives that should be 

considered. 

Persons needing reasonable 

accommodations in order to attend or 

participate in the public meeting should 

contact DOE using one of the methods 

listed in ADDRESSES section no later than 

one week before the relevant public 

meeting. 

Because your comments will be made 

public, you are solely responsible for 

ensuring that your comments do not 

include any confidential information 

that you or a third party may not wish 

to be posted. Pursuant to 10 CFR 

1004.11, any person submitting 

information that he or she believes to be 

confidential and exempt by law from 

public disclosure should submit via 

email, postal mail, or hand delivery/ 

courier two well-marked copies: one 

copy of the document marked 

confidential including all the 

information believed to be confidential, 

and one copy of the document marked 

non-confidential with the information 


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believed to be confidential deleted. 

Submit these documents via email. DOE 

will make its own determination about 

the confidential status of the 

information and treat it according to its 

determination. 

Comments must be provided by the 

date provided in the DATES section of 

this notice to ensure consideration in 

preparation of the draft SEIS. DOE will 

consider late comments to the extent 

practicable. 

Please be advised that your entire 

comment—including your personal 

identifying information—may be made 

publicly available. It is DOE’s policy 

that all comments may be included in 

the public docket, without change and 

as received, including any personal 

information provided in the comments 

(except information deemed to be 

exempt from public disclosure). If you 

wish for DOE to withhold your name 

and/or other personally identifiable 

information, please state this 

prominently at the beginning of your 

comment. You may also submit 

comments anonymously. 

Cooperating Agencies 

Federal, State, local, and Tribal 

agencies with jurisdiction by law or 

special expertise, such as Indigenous 

Knowledge, are invited to participate in 

the preparation of the SEIS as 

cooperating agencies, as defined at 40 

CFR 1501.8. Native American Tribes are 

invited to participate as consulting 

governments. For the 2018 SSFL Area 

IV EIS, there were three cooperating 

agencies: NASA, the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, and the Santa Ynez Band of 

Chumash Indians (a federally 

recognized Native American Tribe with 

historical ties to the SSFL land). The 

EPA and DTSC were also invited to be 

cooperating agencies but declined. DOE 

is inviting these same agencies to 

participate in this SEIS as well. 

SEIS Process and Schedule 

DOE will consider all comments 

received during the public scoping 

period in preparing the draft SEIS. DOE 

anticipates issuing a draft SEIS in the 

winter of 2025–2026. The EPA will 

publish a notice of availability of the 

draft SEIS in the Federal Register, 

which will begin a minimum 45-day 

public comment period. DOE will hold 

at least one public hearing, no sooner 

than 30 days after the EPA notice of 

availability is published. DOE will 

consider comments submitted during 

the comment period on the draft SEIS 

when preparing the final SEIS. DOE 

anticipates issuing a final SEIS in the 

summer of 2026. EPA will issue a notice 

of availability of the final SEIS in the 

Federal Register. DOE anticipates 

issuing a record of decision in the fall 

of 2026 but will do so no sooner than 

30 days from the EPA notice of 

availability of the final SEIS in the 

Federal Register. 

Signing Authority 

This document of the Department of 

Energy was signed on December 17, 

2024, by Candice Trummell, Senior 

Advisor for Environmental 

Management, pursuant to delegated 

authority from the Secretary of Energy. 

That document with the original 

signature and date is maintained by 

DOE. For administrative purposes only, 

and in compliance with requirements of 

the Office of the Federal Register, the 

undersigned DOE Federal Register 

Liaison Officer has been authorized to 

sign and submit the document in 

electronic format for publication, as an 

official document of the Department of 

Energy. 

This administrative process in no way 

alters the legal effect of this document 

upon publication in the Federal 

Register. 

Signed in Washington, DC, on December 

19, 2024. 

Jennifer Hartzell, 

Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer, 

U.S. Department of Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30795 Filed 12–26–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Project No. 6689–000] 

Briar Hydro Associates; Notice of 

Authorization for Continued Project 

Operation 

The license for the Penacook Upper 

Falls Hydroelectric Project No. 6689 was 

issued for a period ending November 30, 

2024. 

Section 15(a)(1) of the FPA, 16 U.S.C. 

808(a)(1), requires the Commission, at 

the expiration of a license term, to issue 

from year-to-year an annual license to 

the then licensee(s) under the terms and 

conditions of the prior license until a 

new license is issued, or the project is 

otherwise disposed of as provided in 

section 15 or any other applicable 

section of the FPA. If the project’s prior 

license waived the applicability of 

section 15 of the FPA, then, based on 

section 9(b) of the Administrative 

Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 558(c), and as 

set forth at 18 CFR 16.21(a), if the 

licensee of such project has filed an 

application for a subsequent license, the 

licensee may continue to operate the 

project in accordance with the terms 

and conditions of the license after the 

minor or minor part license expires, 

until the Commission acts on its 

application. If the licensee of such a 

project has not filed an application for 

a subsequent license, then it may be 

required, pursuant to 18 CFR 16.21(b), 

to continue project operations until the 

Commission issues someone else a 

license for the project or otherwise 

orders disposition of the project. 

If the project is subject to section 15 

of the FPA, notice is hereby given that 

an annual license for Project No. 6689 

is issued to Briar Hydro Associates for 

a period effective December 1, 2024, 

through November 30, 2025, or until the 

issuance of a new license for the project 

or other disposition under the FPA, 

whichever comes first. 

If issuance of a new license (or other 

disposition) does not take place on or 

before November 30, 2025, notice is 

hereby given that, pursuant to 18 CFR 

16.18(c), an annual license under 

section 15(a)(1) of the FPA is renewed 

automatically without further order or 

notice by the Commission, unless the 

Commission orders otherwise. 

If the project is not subject to section 

15 of the FPA, notice is hereby given 

that Briar Hydro Associates is 

authorized to continue operation of the 

Penacook Upper Falls Hydroelectric 

Project under the terms and conditions 

of the prior license until the issuance of 

a subsequent license for the project or 

other disposition under the FPA, 

whichever comes first. 

Dated: December 19, 2024. 

Debbie-Anne A. Reese, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2024–31045 Filed 12–26–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Project No. 3342–000] 

Briar Hydro Associates; Notice of 

Authorization for Continued Project 

Operation 

The license for the Penacook Lower 

Falls Hydroelectric Project No. 3342 was 

issued for a period ending November 30, 

2024. 

Section 15(a)(1) of the FPA, 16 U.S.C. 

808(a)(1), requires the Commission, at 

the expiration of a license term, to issue 

from year-to-year an annual license to 

the then licensee(s) under the terms and 

conditions of the prior license until a 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with NOTICES